


First Date

by s4turn



Category: Deltarune (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Comedy, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-21
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-08-26 20:59:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16688752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/s4turn/pseuds/s4turn
Summary: Alphys gets a surprise visitor in her classroom. A blossoming friendship slow-burns into a steamy romance!





	1. Start Menu

It was the end of the day, and Alphys couldn’t help feeling relieved. 

“Bye, Miss Alphys!” one of her students called out as they stepped through the door frame of the classroom, giving a short, fast little wave.

She raised a gentle hand to them, returning their gesture. “Goodbye, Monster Kid! Be careful on your way home!”

Monster Kid gave a little thumbs up as they disappeared into the hallway. From the open door Alphys could hear the chatter of voices, some quiet, some loud, footsteps, and slamming lockers. 

With her classroom empty, she decided to check her computer. She loaded up her email first: nothing new. She checked her social media. A few notifications, but it was just a couple likes. No messages.

She started straightening up her desk, looking for some homework assignments that needed to be graded. The stack was covered in a small mountain of pens, chalk, and markers she set down carelessly throughout the day.

Never could seem to keep chalk around.

“Hey.”

A voice called to her from the doorway. A woman’s voice.

A police officer. 

Her badge read _Undyne._

“Oh.” Alphys chuckled nervously. She must be so out of it, she hadn’t even heard her come in. “What can I help you with, Officer?”

The police woman took a step into the classroom. Then another, and another, her bright amber eyes scanning and surveying everything in the room. Honestly, it made Alphys nervous. What was she looking for? Cobwebs? She knew there were cobwebs. And stray pieces of tape. Maybe a few cracks in the walls, too, but -- 

“I heard that kid call you Alphys,” she said, finally turning her attention to her. She approached the side of the desk closest to the door. “Are you Alphys?”

Alphys blinked. “Um… yes?”

Officer Undyne vaulted over the corner of the desk in a split second. Alphys hardly noticed until she was already on top of her, pressing her body weight against her back, and pinning her successfully against the ground. Alphys gave a loud grunt as all the wind was knocked from her lungs. Before she could act the officer already had a hold of her tiny wrists crossed together in one of her hands. She could have sworn she heard the faint jingle of handcuffs.

“Heard you were doing some illegal stuff,” Undyne said. 

“I-Illegal?” Alphys sputtered, craning her neck as far as she could to look the police woman in the eye. But she could hardly see her. Her glasses had been knocked ajar, and were edging down her nose. “No, I would never --”

“Wait.”

Officer Undyne loosened up. Her grip around Alphys’s wrists became almost non-existent. Gentle. She blinked for a second, looking confused. Her brow furrowed. She sighed. 

“You’re…” she paused, her expression softening. “You’re cute.”

What?

Alphys hardly believed what she was hearing. This woman tackled in her in her own classroom, sat on her, almost cuffed her, and now -- and now --!

She was calling her _cute_?

Officer Undyne shook her head and chuckled. She let go of her hold on Alphys, letting her arms relax naturally at her sides. She pressed up and got her knees off of the floor, standing, and offered a hand to Alphys. 

She groaned, mildly in pain, majorly in a weird mix of confusion and… something else. She couldn’t quite pinpoint it. 

Alphys rolled herself over onto her back, and let herself be pulled up by Undyne. She stumbled forward a little bit, her feet sliding slightly too fast against the linoleum floor. The officer caught her at her shoulders, stabilizing her enough so she could stand on her own. 

Alphys pushed up her glasses, and looked down at her pants. Then, her shirt.

She was really dirty.

Undyne shot her a guilty frown. “Ah, Alphys, I’m sorry.”

“Why did you tackle me?” Alphys asked, suddenly realizing that feeling she had just moments earlier was a burning trickle of anger. “And then, accusing me of doing something illegal?” Her fists balled at her thighs, which were now sore, probably bruised somewhere, and covered with dirt. “Where would you even get an idea like that?”

Officer Undyne let out a long, airy breath. She looked away, and tucked her bangs behind her left ear. “Dammit, I was so caught up in finally having something to do.”

“Something to do?”

“Yeah.” Officer Undyne leaned against the chalkboard, undoubtedly lending her side a fresh layer of chalk dust. “A kid mentioned your name to me in the street. Some kid that goes here, I think.”

Alphys blinked, still seething. She crossed her arms. “Uh-huh.”

“My job is really boring,” she explained. “Nothing ever happens here, so I thought maybe you could be a criminal after all.” The officer laughed a little. “But, you don’t seem the type. You’re too cute.”

That was the dumbest reasoning Alphys had ever heard for not apprehending a possible criminal. But still, she was called _cute_.

Nobody ever calls her cute.

“Are you making fun of me?” Alphys mumbled, her rage steadily depressing into a darker, more painful feeling. 

She had to be, she reasoned. Nobody would ever think she was _actually_ cute.

Officer Undyne’s eyes got big. Really big. She practically jumped off of the chalkboard, shaking her head. “No!” she barked, almost a little too loud. “No, I’m being serious!”

Alphys’s face felt too warm. She hated this. 

“I-I’ve got a bus to catch,” Alphys said finally, stuffing the stack of homework -- now, with a big boot print on the top page -- into her bag. She straightened up her dirtied jacket and threw the bag over her shoulder, turning meekly to head straight for the door.

“Wait!”

A hand tugged on the back of her jacket. She glared over her shoulder.

Officer Undyne realized her unwanted touch and took her hand back quickly. “Let me make it up to you.”

Alphys looked skeptical. “How?”

Undyne smiled. She rummaged her many pockets, in her shirt, her pants, then her belt. “Damn, they’re in here somewhere,” she muttered, checking back over the pockets again. Undyne started to empty them onto Alphys’s desk. Gum. Paperclips. Tattered receipts.  
Lint.

“Here!” she said finally, handing Alphys a card. 

Alphys took it reluctantly, glancing down at the simple, yellow lettering against a plain black background.

“It’s my card,” the officer clarified, despite it being very obvious. “My number is on there somewhere. You should contact me.”

“For what?”

To her surprise, Undyne exploded in laughter. “To hang out, of course!” she bellowed. “So I can get you out of those clothes.”

Alphys’s face froze, erupting in crimson.

Officer Undyne was still laughing. Not as loud, but still laughing. She caught Alphys’s expression, chuckling, and suddenly, very, very slowly, as her laughter began to die, she realized what she said.

“You know!” she said, shifting her weight to one hip. Beneath her blue cheeks a bit of purple hue bloomed. “I’ll buy you new ones! It’ll be fun. Two girls shopping together.” She flashed Alphys another smile. “Maybe we can even get you a dress.”

Alphys’s heart fluttered in her chest. She gripped onto her bag tightly and bit her lip, not quite sure of what to say.

“Not that you need a dress!” Undyne continued to fuss. “I just think you would look cute in one. Something simple like polka dots!”

Alphys considered it for a long moment. She looked back up at Undyne. Vibrant red hair. Sharpened features. If Alphys wasn’t so angry, she might call her beautiful. Which might be the problem.

 _She’s not making fun of me,_ she thought. _She feels sorry for me._

“You can think about it. If you change your mind, just text me,” Undyne said, flashing her another smile. “Better go catch your bus.”

“Y-Yeah,” Alphys replied quietly, turning to leave, and couldn’t bring herself to say another word.


	2. Unnecessary Tension

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alphys makes a decision.

It was early morning, an hour before the children would begin to arrive. The sun had just begun to spread a pink hue across the sky.

Alphys shuffled through the school doors, her heavy bag slung over her shoulder. She stifled a yawn as she walked through the halls, faint, sleepy tears in her eyes. She had spent the whole night distracting herself by grading homework, eager to forget the events of yesterday evening.

Admittedly, she was still kind of sore. Physically, and mentally. The officer had tackled her with all of her might, despite her loosely-based information. Alphys wondered which child had given her name to Undyne. Had the whole thing been some really bad prank? Did someone dislike her enough to lie about something so serious?

She turned down the hallway that lead to her classroom.

“Good morning, Alphys.”

Toriel’s voice ripped her from her thoughts. She stopped in mid-step to greet her, giving her a shaky smile. “Good morning, Toriel.”

Toriel’s gaze softened slightly as she tipped her head, looking deep into her eyes with a quizzical kind of expression. “Are you okay?”

Alphys nodded quickly, but unconvincingly. “U-Um, yeah, I’m fine!” she said. “Why do you ask?”

“You looked a little worried, is all,” she replied. “Sorry, I do not mean to pry.”

“It’s okay!” Alphys gripped a little tighter to her bag. “I’m just kind of tired.”

Toriel giggled to herself for a second. “I must admit, I am also sleepy today,” she confessed. There was a modest look to her, as if she were about to reveal something absolutely shameful. “I was reading the most interesting book, and I could not seem to put it down!”

God, she was adorable. How Asgore could ever let her go, Alphys couldn’t understand. “That sounds interesting,” Alphys said. “What was it about?”

“Alphys,” Toriel said, her tone suddenly utterly, completely serious. Her expression went dark, her kind features disappearing into the shadow of her wrinkled brow. “Did you know that some humans eat snails?”

Alphys blinked, not sure what to do with this information. “O-Oh,” she stuttered, searching her mind for something to say. “That’s… That’s kind of -- “

A figure caught her eye. A dark blue uniform. A mane of fiery red hair.

She froze. She felt her face go red, and her body went hot, a reaction that Alphys only knew as panic. 

Before she could excuse herself, Undyne was already closing in on her and Toriel in the hall. She gave a small wave to Toriel, and Toriel waved back. She motioned her to join them.

_No, Toriel, please!_ she pleaded. _Don’t!_

“Alphys,” Toriel asked, “have you met Chief Undyne?”

_Chief?_

Alphys turned away from the approaching police woman, shaking her head. She could feel her face turning steadily redder by the moment. She started to sweat. Her clothes suddenly felt constricting, and skin-tight. “U-Um, no,” she replied. “No, no, I-I, um --”

The footsteps behind her stopped. The sound of thick, leather boots.

“Chief Undyne, good morning.”

“Hey, Ms. Toriel,” she said. Alphys could hear a carefree cheerfulness in her voice, as if nothing was wrong. 

Toriel turned back to Alphys, seemingly oblivious to her internal struggle. “Alphys, Chief Undyne is here to assist with the bullying problem in our school. She will be here for a short while, or until it improves.”

Alphys’s throat was dry. She forced herself to speak. “I-Is that right?”

Undyne laughed a little. “I’m just here to look intimidating,” she said, placing her hands on her hips. Alphys could almost hear her smiling, but she didn’t dare look at her directly. “It’s not like I’ll be arresting kids or anything.”

“The children at this school are not bad children,” Toriel lamented. “Some of them simply have problems they cannot express in healthier, more meaningful ways.”

Alphys took notice of the clock mounted to the wall. The bell was about to ring.

_Anytime now._

Undyne agreed. “Y’know, I was a pretty hot-headed kid,” she said. “I wanted to fight just about anyone who would fight me.”

“Why do you think that is?” Toriel asked.

“I dunno.” The police woman shrugged out of the corner of Alphys’s eye. “Just energetic, I guess. That’s why I became a cop. I wanted to do some good things with that energy. I want to fight bad guys, but no one in this town seems to have it in them....”

_Anytime now._

Alphys shut her eyes. Tight. Her knuckles ached as she clutched her bag strap, her grip getting stronger and stronger.

“Ah.” Toriel seemed to disagree with something, but she didn’t express what. Just as she was about to say something further, it happened.

The bell rang.

“O-oh, wow, it’s seven already!” Alphys said nervously, stumbling over her words. She offered Toriel a quick nod, trying to ignore the desperate racing of her heart. “I’ve got to go!”

“Oh?” Toriel blinked in confusion as she watched Alphys scuttle away. 

She headed straight for her classroom without looking back. She clutched her bag against her in need of urgent comfort. Her heart was racing. Her mind spun with a million bad things that could go wrong.

Alphys reached her classroom and flicked on the light. She rushed to her computer chair and sat down, throwing her bag aside. She laid her head in her arms as she slapped them against the table. 

She didn’t really understand, but she wanted to cry. She hated herself. She might even hate Undyne. She was playing a trick on her, surely. She acted like nothing happened yesterday, and even though Undyne apologized, she didn’t seem to understand.

Alphys knew she had a problem. When she was a schoolgirl, she was bullied by other children. It was usually for her looks or her interests: her glasses, her teeth, the anime she liked. Anything that she enjoyed about herself others had quickly shut her down for it. And even as an adult, she never could quite shake the damage that had been done.

So she spent most of her time alone. Watching anime at home never hurt her feelings. Writing fanfiction never disappointed her. And Alphys wasn’t lonely. She was comfortable that way.

But sometimes, she caught herself wondering. What if she could have a relationship like those in the dating games she played? Girls fawning over the protagonist, supporting them, and even falling for them, if things worked out that way. What if she could have friends, and not just Toriel?   
It was a nice, but frightening thought, making herself vulnerable enough for friendship.

She sighed, running her hands across her temples to relieve some of the tension. She reached down into her bag and pulled out the homework, setting it aside for later. Then, she reached for the pens at the bottom, cupping her hand inside to pull them all out at once.

Alphys set the stack out on her desk. Inside the stack was a card.

Undyne’s card.

She groaned in disinterest. Still, she took it in her hand, giving it a real glance-over. 

Truthfully, it looked a bit weird. 

_UNDYNE. HOMETOWN CHIEF OF POLICE._

The lettering was obnoxiously in all caps. The shade of yellow was the primary shade. The yellowist yellow you could possibly aim for.

And was this font… _papyrus?_

Her eyes rested on the phone number there. Undyne’s personal cell phone. Probably.

She clutched it closer in her fingers.

What if she could have friends, she wondered. What if Undyne wasn’t such a bad person, even if she did act rashly? She might truly be sorry for what she did.

_She even might… actually find me cute?_

_No._ Alphys shook her head, shaking the thoughts away. _No way. Impossible._

She fought with herself. Maybe it could be fun, to go shopping with Undyne. Alphys had never gone out with a girl friend, despite how many times Toriel insisted on it. She had visited Toriel many times, of course, but they only ever hung out at her house. They never went out.

Clothes shopping was daunting to her. She didn’t like it. Clothes never seemed to fit her right. They made her feel bad about her body. The way clothing laid on other people never looked like how it laid on her. It was hard to find something suitable. Much less, something like a dress.

Come to think of it, had she ever worn a dress before?

Alphys opened up her phone. A few notifications, some likes on her social media accounts.

She went to the contacts page, and with a shaky breath, added Undyne’s number.


	3. Determination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alphys gets a phone call.

_‘This is Alphys.’_ she texted her.

She pursed her lips in thought.

 _‘Do you want to hang out tomorrow at 7?’_ Alphys texted again, a minute later. 

Five minutes passed. No answer.

_‘If not, that’s okay!’_

Alphys took a bite of her instant noodles, chewing thoughtfully. Her claws tapped against the screen, and hesitated for a moment before hitting send again. 

_‘And you don’t have to buy me clothes! We can just go somewhere ^.^’_

She started writing more, but resisted the urge to text Undyne for the fifth time. 

Alphys placed her phone onto her desk and sighed. 

Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2 played in the background on her home computer. She hardly paid any attention. Her dinner was only lightly touched. All she could do was stare at her phone.

It had been a little over a week since her first encounter with Undyne. At first, Alphys worried that Undyne being at the school would be a problem for her. After a few days her anxiety about it started to cool. She could pass by Undyne without turning red or sweating too much. Undyne never pursued her; the most she did was offer her a small nod or a gentle smile if they happened to make eye contact. And if they did make eye contact, it was always because Alphys had first.

Toriel seemed insistent on making them friends, which slowed Alphys’s progress a little. Alphys knew she was doing it just to be nice. She didn’t know the circumstances between Alphys and Undyne. Still, having them both meet to have lunch with her at the same time and same place was awkward. For the past couple days, Alphys made excuses as to why she couldn’t join her.

And she was running out of them. Fast.

She wouldn’t be able to keep this up for much longer. The tension was too great, and every time she and Undyne made some sort of connection, even the slightest of friendly gestures -- such as merely sharing a glance -- increased that tension.

What made it even worse was waiting. And luckily, she didn’t have to wait that much.

Suddenly, her phone dinged.

Alphys raced back to her phone. She took it in her trembling hands, and unlocked it, desperate to read her newest message. 

_‘This is Toriel. I found the most adorable picture of Kris and Asriel from Halloween many years ago! Kris is dressed as a ghost. I have not a clue what Asriel was supposed to be! LOL! :)’_

Her message was followed up by a picture of her children. There was a huge glare across the middle of it, likely because Toriel had taken a picture of a physical picture with her phone, with the flash on. 

Alphys could hardly make out a single detail. 

_‘I can’t tell what he’s supposed to be either lmao’_ she responded. But really. She really couldn’t. 

By this time her food was long cold. She still ate it, though, trying her best to focus on the middle of a different episode of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2. 

Just how long had she been spacing out? 

It was starting to get late. She still had a lesson to prepare, and wanted to clock in a few paragraphs to her latest fanfiction which was, admittedly, about herself suddenly gaining magical powers in a mysterious underground world. It felt so self-indulgent and vain, but it was fun, and that’s all that really mattered.

It wasn’t like anyone was ever going to see it.

She gave her phone a final glance before getting started.

It was ringing.

Alphys flinched, unaccustomed to the sound of her own ringtone. The abruptness made it seem even louder, more intimidating than when the usual spam caller called her. 

Because Undyne was calling her.

Oh, god. She froze, her cheeks flushing hot. Her thumb hovered over the green answer button, but something wouldn’t let her press it.

She couldn’t move. Anxiety enveloped her, and her heart beat deep in her chest. Why couldn’t Undyne just text back? Why did she have to _call_ her?

The ringing stopped and the screen went black. Alphys almost sighed with relief. She picked up her phone and opened the messages with Undyne. She started to text her.

_‘Hey! You tried to call but I don’t like talking on the phone >.<; Maybe we could just --’_

As she hit the space key, she accidentally answered the next incoming call.

“Alphys!” Undyne’s voice loudly greeted her through the receiver. She could totally hear it, despite her phone being in her hands in front of her. “Sorry I didn’t answer your text earlier! I was taking a shower and lost track of time. I was worried that you might be getting ready to sleep or whatever, so I figured instead of texting you and you maybe not getting it, I would call instead.”

Phone anxiety was a big deal for Alphys. Most of the time she could manage through it, though. She was sure that if she asked Undyne to text that she would, but she didn’t want Undyne to think that she was silly or needy.

Alphys nodded quickly. “Th-that’s alright!”

“Did you still want to hang out at seven tomorrow?”

“Oh! Ah, u-u-u-m, yes! Y-yes, I do,” she managed, one hand supporting her phone, the other resting against her hot cheek.

“Awesome!” the officer said, sounding pretty pumped about it. “Where do you want me to pick you up?”

Alphys’s eyes got wide.”Pick… pick me up?”

“Yeah, you know,” Undyne explained, “I figured I’d give you a lift.”

Alphys thought to herself for a lot shorter time than she probably should have. “H-how about the school?” she suggested. “I mean, it’s Friday tomorrow, and I’ll be working a little late.”

“That’s cool,” she agreed. “I’ll be at the police station, anyway. That’s not too far from the school.”

There was a silence between them. Alphys bit her lip worriedly, wondering if she had already bored Undyne. 

Undyne spoke up again. “I’ll be waiting by the entrance at seven,” she said, growling a faint chuckle. “You’d better not be late, Miss Alphys.”

Alphys’s blush deepened. “I w-won’t!” she promised. 

“Good!” Undyne replied, seeming satisfied with her answer. “Later.”

“Oh!” Her haste surprised her. “Goodnight, officer!”

The minute and forty-two second phone call seemed to last a lifetime. Alphys slumped into her chair, curling inwardly with a mix of emotions. In a lot of ways, she was relieved. Most of her worrying came from contacting Undyne in the first place. Now that that was over, all she had to worry about was tomorrow. 

Tomorrow.

It was _tomorrow_.

What was she going to wear? What was she going to talk about? 

What if Undyne ended up not liking her?

 _It’ll be fine,_ she told herself. Alphys found her pressing her phone to her chest, her hands clutched over it desperately. This would be a good thing! She and Undyne would meet at seven, and they would have fun.

Two girls hanging out, shopping and talking. Piece of cake. She had done this a million times in her dating games. She just had to keep her dialogue to Undyne’s interests, make her feel comfortable and intrigued at the same time. 

But… what were her interests? She knew nothing about the policewoman other than that she was, well, a police officer. And a fish. And blue… and… insanely… utterly....

Alphys froze for a second. A thin, uncertain expression crossed her features. She groaned with frustration, ripping herself from her chair. As she stood she tossed her phone onto the table and wrapped her night robe tighter around her waist. 

She wouldn’t lose to this. She wouldn’t lose another thing to her feelings. She would be honest with herself. She would believe in herself. 

Even if it was just for a little while.


	4. Premonition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Undyne and Alphys go shopping.

The sun had started set outside the window to Alphys’s classroom. She had just about everything done for the day. With last week’s quizzes graded and next week’s exam made, she felt fairly confident about her progress. She was making great time.

This meant that this weekend could be devoted to relaxing in her pajamas, eating frozen yogurt, and going absolutely nowhere. She would probably try out a new anime, or pick up the stack of comic books that had been collecting on her desk for a while. Either way, Alphys was determined to have some much-needed time off. 

And her weekend began right about… _now._

It was six-thirty. She was going to be a little early, but that was usually a good thing. Alphys slung her bag over her shoulder and turned off her computer, flicking the lights off as she passed by the door and locked it. 

She headed down the hallway. The walls were dappled in dimming sunlight, the golden glow of Fall illuminating her way. She peered out the windows as she passed to see a beautiful, rather clear-skied evening. The sky had just begun to turn pink and orange. A soft violet hugged the underside of the few clouds that hung in the distance, shadowing the otherwise perfect sunset.

Alphys headed toward the school entrance. She stepped outside and the heavy doors locked and closed behind her. She glanced over to see if Toriel’s car was still there, but it wasn’t. Even she had plans on Friday night, it seemed.

Alphys was going out. She was spending a Friday evening out. Not in the dark by herself. Not playing video games. Not eating three packs of instant noodles in a row. Not watching Mew Mew Kissy Cutie re-runs.

She opened her phone, and scrolled around on social media to pass the time. It just was full of Toriel’s recipe reposts.

And then, she heard a faint roar in the distance, growing ever closer.

She looked up from her phone, her eyes scanning around. Then that’s when Alphys noticed her; her wave of red hair down her back, laying against the collar folds of a leather jacket, mounted on a glistening black motorcycle.

“Hey, teach’!” Undyne shouted over her engine. She rolled the handle and turned it off, propping it up on its grip handle as she dismounted it.

Alphys stood up quickly, tucking her phone into her pocket. “Officer -- I m-mean, Chief Undyne, hello.”

Undyne flipped her ponytail over her shoulder with a quiet chuckle. “No need for all of that, Miss Alphys,” she said. “You can call me Undyne. Just Undyne.”

“Oh!” Alphys blushed a little. “Well, then... just call me Alphys.”

“Alright, Alphys.” Undyne took a helmet off of the left handle of her bike, and tossed it to her. Miraculously, Alphys caught it, despite her terrible hand-eye coordination. “Put the helmet on and get on the bike.” She smiled. “We’re gonna have some fun.”

Alphys blinked down at the helmet in her hands. It would surprisingly fit her, despite the crest of thick spines on her head. 

“I-I-I’ve never been on a motorcycle before,” she said, turning the helmet in her hands, trying to figure out exactly how it worked. “Actually,” she admitted, “I’ve never even been on a bicycle.”

Undyne laughed. “Oh, man,” she said, motioning Alphys toward her. “C’mere, I’ll show you how this works.”

She helped Alphys figure out the intricacies of her helmet. It was actually really simple; Alphys just had it backward. And after adjusting the chin strap, they were good to go.

Undyne knocked her knuckles against it. “Solid.” She hiked her leg over her bike. “You might want to hold onto your glasses for this, Alphys.”

Alphys hopped up onto the seat behind her. “Why?” she asked. “Do you like to go fast?”

Undyne shot her a smile over her shoulder, and revved the engine.

She took off from the curb, leaving a trail of dust and pebbles behind them. Alphys instinctively reached out for Undyne’s waist. She gasped and gripped on tight, and burying her face into her back. 

“Wh-where are we going?” she managed to ask, closing her eyes against the cold wind that pressed against them.

“Someplace cool.”

The slithering, crooked back roads they traveled were lined with golden and amber trees. Fallen leaves billowed around them as they passed, leaving behind a warm whirlwind of color. The sky overhead was a one of a bright, blue complexion giving way to a red and violet twilight.

They passed the back side of the lake that Alphys frequented. She held a long glance at the still waters, wondering if the shadow in its center was an old friend or just a trick of the eye.  
Racing against a row of blooming fall flowers sent their loose, golden petals flying. Some of them landed into Undyne’s hair, and on Alphys’s nose. She hardly knew that she lived somewhere so beautiful. This was a world she never got to see -- never really cared to see, until now.

She giggled happily, the apprehension she had previously about their meeting suddenly falling away. It was chilly, but she embraced the cold. She welcomed the stinging sensation of the late autumn wind on her cheeks.

Her arms wrapped around Undyne just a little tighter. 

The welcoming sign of the next town over greeted them almost all too soon. They rolled up to this small shop front just past the entry gates. It was quaint and humble, made of aged brown stone. There was a chalk-written sign outside the door detailing a special sale of some kind.

Undyne parked the motorcycle just outside. She gave Alphys a moment to dismount and take off her helmet before doing the same. She let out a satisfied grunt as her leg swung over and her foot touched the ground. The officer gave a long, deep stretch.

“Well,” she asked with a smile, “what did you think of that, Alphys?”

Alphys chuckled breathlessly, her green eyes still kind of wide from the experience. “It was… different!”

“That’s a good thing, right?” Undyne took her helmet for her and hung it up on one of the handles. She set hers aside on the other one, and gave her head a little shake. Her red hair was firey and wild from the ride, but she didn’t seem to mind. 

The mannequins in the window showed three different monster body types wearing an array of different styles of really nice outfits. It became immediately obvious that this was a place to buy not only pants and things like Alphys was accustomed to wearing, but cute skirts and dresses, too. 

Undyne led the way inside. It was modern with a hip kind of feel, something Alphys wasn’t really used to. If she shopped for herself, it was almost always online. She couldn’t remember the last time she was in an actual store.

“Welcome!” The shopkeeper was a smaller, older, well-dressed monster. When she grinned her cheeks almost obfuscated her thin, bright eyes. “Let us know if you need anything.”

“Thanks for your help,” Undyne replied, then turned to Alphys. “Pick out anything you want.”

Alphys felt a sudden twinge of apprehension. She began rolling her thumbs around, overwhelmed by the amount of clothing surrounding her, and the pressure to choose. “Y-y-you don’t have to do that, Undyne,” she managed. “We can just… shop together! I can buy my own things.”

Undyne shook her head. “Nope!” She put her hands on her hips decisively. “I kinda made a mistake tackling you like that. I want to make up for it.”

There was no swaying her, and Alphys knew it. “Alright,” she agreed, “b-but I have to get you something, too.”

Undyne’s brow raised for a second before she leaned her head back and laughed, pressing her hand against her stomach. “God, I can’t win against you, can I, Alphys?” She gave Alphys a friendly punch on the shoulder. 

_Ouch._

“Alright,” Undyne resigned. “I’ll play by your rules. Under one more condition.” 

Alphys raised an eyebrow. “O-o-okay?”

“We have to pick it out for each other.”

_Oh, god._

“We can pick out one thing,” Undyne continued with her ridiculous idea. “We have to try it on. If nothing works we can try again.” She put her hands on her hips, her expression beaming with excitement. “What do you say?”

At first, Alphys kind of felt uncomfortable about the suggestion. She hardly knew Undyne, and Undyne hardly knew her.

But she was having fun so far. She remembered that euphoric feeling just minutes earlier. Alphys had been hesitant about that, too, and it ended up being a great experience.

Maybe doing this could take her outside of her comfort zone. Maybe she could grow from this.

_I have to stay determined!_

“You’re on!” Alphys said, pointing a driven finger at Undyne. She gave her a toothy smile. “A-a-and we only have ten minutes to do it!”

Undyne’s eyes widened with interest. Her hands shot out at her sides, balled up into fists, and she bent at the knees. “YEAH!” she shouted, almost a little too loudly. Alphys could have sworn she was shaking. “LET’S _DO_ THIS!”

The shopkeeper gave them a curious glance over her shoulder.

They both hurried off in opposite directions. Alphys made a beeline for something she always wanted to wear, but never quite had the confidence: a skirt.

But what kind? What color? 

Undyne seemed to like black, but with her red hair, she’d probably look great in a darker red. Oh, maybe a green? Purple? Gray?

She quickly found something she liked, but nothing that seemed fitting for Undyne. She decided to move on. They passed by each other briefly, giggling childishly.

Somehow as they tried to avoid each other, Alphys ended up near the dresses. She still had a lot of time, so it was at least worth a glance. 

She skimmed through them rather quickly, deciding that patterns probably weren’t quite Undyne’s thing. She passed over a few “maybes” and some “definitely nots”, until, finally -- something really caught her attention.

A silver dress. But it wasn’t just any kind of silver dress.

It sparkled. No, _shimmered._

It shimmered like --

_Armor._

Alphys stopped for a second. Something seemed to come to mind. It was a thought, almost. It lingered there for a moment, a deep, gnawing feeling, like a word on the tip of her tongue. 

Something reached out and touched her, in her heart. In her _soul._ She felt it.

And just as quickly, it was gone.

She shivered, shaking off the feeling that lingered. She probably didn’t have that much time left. She snuck a glance at Undyne, who seemed to be choosing between two things. Then, she looked up.

Undyne and Alphys met eyes across the room. Time was up, and neither of them had really been keeping it. They exchanged choices, and ducked into separate dressing rooms, side by side. And honestly, Alphys was a little nervous.

In her hands was her own black dress, dappled with polka dots, just like Undyne said in her classroom. She wrapped her fingers around the soft, almost silken fabric, clinging to whatever twinge of confidence she had to try it on.

These things usually never worked out for her. She was proportionally larger in places most monsters weren’t: her belly, her thighs. Her lifetime of bending forward in chairs staring at a screen didn’t do any wonders for her posture, either. And Alphys hated her thick, long tail. If anything happened to fit the rest of her, it was her tail that always posed the problem.

_Ugh._

She took off her clothes and laid them aside, shooting a long, doubtful glance at the dress hanging in front of her. She could always say it didn’t fit, and not come out. Right? She could lie…

But Alphys remembered Undyne’s smiling face. She was excited to be here. She was having fun.

Dammit, I’m going to have fun, too.

Alphys took the dress and put it on, and just as she was ironing out the creases with her hands, the door to the room beside her slammed open.

“Alphys! You ready yet?”

Hardly. “O-oh, um, yes,” she said, kicking away her shoes at her door. “One moment.”

Alphys stepped out, her head low. She hadn’t time to give herself a look-over. She wondered if she looked stupid. She wondered if Undyne saw her in this dress… if she would see her for the pathetic lump that she really was.

She dared to make eye contact with Undyne. And, wow.

Undyne was _stunning._

The strap-backed dressed had an intricate, criss-crossed pattern down to the middle of her spine. It was sleeveless, showcasing the muscles Alphys hadn’t known she had before.

And then, there was the thin slit of fabric cut from her left mid-thigh all the way down to the floor. Her skin peeked out just slightly. So slight, Alphys hadn’t noticed this feature before choosing that dress for her.

“Alphys.” Undyne’s voice was stern. Her expression was thin as she looked down at herself. Blank. “This is…”

“Oh, I!” Alphys blushed red, bringing her hands over her face. “I-I-I didn’t know it looked like that, I’m r-really...! Uh, I wasn’t trying to --“

“Alphys,” she continued, a smile stretching across her face, “ I look _hot!_ ”

Alphys sighed inwardly with relief. So much relief, she could have melted on the spot. 

“But you!” she said, gripping Alphys by the shoulders. “You’re so pretty. Do you like it?”

Alphys turned away, anxiously clicking her claws together. “I-I-I don’t know…”

Undyne put her hands on her hips. “Alphys, have you even looked at yourself?”

“N… no.”

She snorted a laugh. “Well, you should! Seriously, you’re cute.”

There was that word again.

_Cute._

Alphys bit her lip, and turned around.

She looked…

Great, actually.

“Oh.” Alphys clasped her hands at her chest with hesitant delight. It hugged her curves without looking or feeling too tight. The bottom tapered off to leave some moving room for her legs. There was enough fabric around her tail to keep it from bunching up around the sewn-in cut for it, her usual, age-old obstacle.

“I am k-kind of… cute,” she said, looking down at her dress. “I mean, I normally wouldn’t say that, but -- “

“But what?” Undyne said, her voice loud. She put her hands around each side of Alphys, shaping her with air gestures. “I mean, you’re hips are like _pow_ , and you’re legs are like _bam_!”

She started to sweat a little. In the mirror she could see just how red her face was. She wasn’t sure how to take the compliment. She rubbed her arm shyly, and managed a small smile. 

“I… want to get this,” Alphys said quietly. She put her hands on her cheeks in an attempt to cool them down. “But if I’m not mistaken, i-isn’t this the kind of dress you were describing that I would look, u-um, cute in? You know, in the classroom?”

Undyne coughed a short laugh. “You remembered that? Oh, man!” She turned a little purple in the face. “I mean, yeah, it was,” she confessed. “I don’t know, I pass by this place all the time when I go to the sweets shop here, and I’ve seen it so many times -- and when I saw you, I thought it was just…” she paused, scratching the back of her head, “I don’t know. It seemed right, you know?”

Alphys did know. When she saw Undyne’s dress, she had that feeling. That weird, warm, familiar kind of feeling.

They both ended up keeping what the other picked out. Undyne was determined to wear hers to every fancy event for the rest of her life, and with a sly wink, swore to never wear it around her house making weapon-swooshing noises.

The ride home was dark and cold, Alphys felt too good about what happened today to notice. She overcame a lot of fear and self-doubt to do this. Meeting someone new, shopping with them, riding on a motorcycle, buying a dress….

“We should hang out more,” Undyne said suddenly. Alphys blinked up at her, but Undyne’s eyes were facing forward, completely focused on the road. 

“Sure,” Alphys agreed. “Maybe grab some coffee? Or, uh, something?” She bit the insides of her cheeks as she anticipated her answer, somehow anxious. 

“I’m more of a tea person, but yeah, sounds good.” Undyne paused for a second as if she was considering something. “You know,” she said, “you’re always welcome at my place.”

“Your place?” 

She laughed somewhat. “Yeah, I mean, we’re friends now, right?”

The word filled her with an unfamiliar, hot kind of warmth. 

_Friends._

Alphys could hardly muster a response. Much less, an intelligible one. 

“Y-yeah!” she said finally, her face burning against Undyne’s jacket.

She didn’t want the time to come for her to get off of the bike and say their goodbyes to come, but it did. She could have stayed there, surrounded by her warmth for, well… forever, probably. Something about Undyne made her feel comfortable. 

“See ya later, teach’!” she called out from her bike in front of Alphys’s house as she put her key into her door. She turned back and returned a happy wave to Undyne before watching her drive off again, leaving a trail of exhaust behind her.

Alphys watched her go, and sighed, a tiny grin imprinted on her face.

She turned back to the front door, and was met with darkness. This was usual for her. 

She felt her way to the living room light and flipped it on, the house looking exactly how she left it. She set her bags down and sat on the couch, looking at her phone for the first time since she left the school. There was hardly anything new, but there were a few new comments on her fanfiction.

Alphys pursed her lips, kind of out of guilt, kind of out of pleasure. The one that was getting attention was one she wrote while particularly modelling after Toriel and Asgore: a filthy, sexy post-divorce romance drama.

Of course it was, she thought. It’s Friday night.

Alphys paused in her thoughts for a second. She found herself wondering what Undyne would be doing with the rest of her night. What did she like to do for fun? What did she like to eat? Did she like anime? Could Alphys maybe get her into it?

She sighed, letting her thoughts drift away. She thought about Undyne’s long, pretty hair, her gorgeous smile. The way she yelled when she was happy, how she punched things when she got excited, and… the way she looks in her uniform, and that dress from today…

_Damn._

Alphys smiled to herself.

And then, suddenly, she didn’t.

 _Oh, no._ She recoiled from her feelings, pushing them down. Deep down. _Not again._

Never again.

She quickly gathered her things and hurried to the basement. Her safe place. Her oasis.

Where nobody, and nothing, could ever hurt her.

 _Ever_ again.


	5. Duality of Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alphys contemplates her feelings.

The final bell rang and Alphys’s students stood from their desks, pushing their seats back in a choir of dull, aching screeching. 

“Don’t forget about the exam this Thursday!” Alphys said, her voice hardly cutting through any of the noise at all. “A-And be prepared for that essay question on Galvanic cells! I wasn’t kidding!”

She sighed under her breath as she turned to the chalkboard. She erased a bunch of lecture notes about batteries, and some chemistry-related math. Alphys knew everyone hated it, but, honestly, so did she. If it wasn’t about higher cellular processes, she didn’t care that much.

“Um, Miss Alphys?”

Alphys jumped a little, dropping her eraser. Noelle’s voice was so close and sudden, it completely surprised her. No one ever asked her questions after class. She expected everyone to be gone already, even though the bell rang only thirty seconds ago.

“O-Oh, Noelle!” She bent down for eraser, but Noelle beat her to it. The student handed it over to her and Alphys accepted it with a shaky, but grateful smile. “Sorry, I --”

Noelle shook her head. “No, it’s okay, I frightened you, Miss Alphys. I’m sorry,” she said, her eyes peering downcast. Her expression was troubled: brow creased, jaw tight.

Alphys tipped her head, genuinely concerned. Noelle was always a happy-go-lucky girl. She was hardly ever upset. “Did you... need to ask me something?”

Noelle pushed the hair framing her face back behind her ear, and cleared her throat. “Actually, yes,” she admitted, pushing the books she was holding close to her chest. “I figured if anyone knew this answer to this, um. Oh, nevermind.”

Alphys felt herself getting almost as nervous as Noelle was. 

“Well...” Noelle began, “there’s a Sadie Hawkins dance next Friday, and I know that it’s traditionally supposed to be for girls to ask the boys, b-but…” She trailed off, shutting her eyes tight as she managed to pull the words from her heart, speaking quickly, “I wondered if it would be weird if a girl asked another girl.”

Alphys blinked, absorbing Noelle’s question and all of the other words surrounding it. 

“Of course!” she blurted, almost too loudly. “I-I-I-I mean, after all, it’s really all about girls doing the asking. It doesn’t matter who.”

Noelle thought about this a second. Her chocolate-colored eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, her smile sparkling like freshly-fallen snow. “Ah, I guess you’re right!” She looked around in her skirt pockets quickly, as if checking them for something. Her hand balled around a small box, full of chalk, and gave Alphys a willful nod.

“Thank you, Miss Alphys! See you tomorrow!”

She ran out of the room, her hooves clopping noisily. Noelle wasn’t usually one to run in the hallways, either.

But something must have filled her with some kind of hope. A spark.

Determination.

Alphys bit her lip. A dance, huh? That’s right. She almost forgot about it.

She would probably be asked to chaperone like every year, and like every year, she would decline. Dances weren’t really her thing. She never attended one when she was a student. 

But, god, Noelle really came to her for advice -- about a _dance?_

That reminded her: she promised Toriel she would see her after class today about the said dance. She would probably ask her to help chaperone it, and like every other year, Alphys would politely decline.

Dances weren’t really her thing.

Alphys headed down the hallway. Toriel’s room wasn’t too distant from her own. It took her only a minute of dodging lingering students to reach her. She poked her head into Toriel’s door first, to make sure she wasn’t busy with anything.

Toriel was stuffing a bouquet of flowers into the garbage. Her eyes were intense, and Alphys could have sworn she saw the beginnings of tears.

“Oh, my god,” she said, setting the box on the ground beside her. “Toriel.. are you okay?”

She didn’t look okay. Her face was a mixture of anger and sadness, an expression Alphys understood, but she certainly couldn’t know how it felt. 

Toriel sniffed, her teeth gritted underneath her trembling lips. “I am fine,” she managed. Alphys expected a little more, but nothing came.

She wasn’t okay. She knew that much.

“He knows how much this upsets me,” Toriel whispered, finally turning to Alphys. She had never seen a face quite so sad. 

Alphys found the box of tissues on the edge of Toriel’s desk, and offered her one. Toriel took it, smiling a weak, ginger smile. 

“Today would have been our twentieth year of marriage,” she mused. “For some reason he still gives me flowers, year after year. I have asked him not to, but he insists.” She sniffed again. This one was paired with a bitter frown. “As usual, his feelings are of higher importance than mine.”

Alphys sighed. She wasn’t sure how to comfort her. Alphys considered herself friends with both Toriel and Asgore. She always heard both sides to the story; and she never agreed with just one. Being neutral was something she was committed to, and she promised herself that when they divorced. 

She wondered if that made her a pacifist or a coward. Or both. 

“I’ll be right back,” she said, giving a small tap on Toriel’s chair. She went over to the garbage can and removed the bag, tied it up, and made her exit.

Toriel didn’t say anything else. It was probably for the best.

Alphys carried the garbage through the hallway. Luckily it was light; full of crumpled paper, bottles, snack bags, and gum. She was grateful that it wasn’t leaking. That always happened to her trash; was someone chewing holes into the bag?

Then she realized: she had no idea where this garbage was going to go. She didn’t have access to the large garbage cans in the janitorial closet. Her next best bet was to go behind the school to the dumpster there. With luck, it wouldn’t be locked.

Sometimes she could find some really good trash in there, too, but it was so close to the playground that she could hardly ever go there without the risk of being seen. 

_The duality of love,_ she thought, as she made her way there. It filled Noelle with hope and fearlessness to overcome the obstacle of rejection in her heart. For Toriel, love caused disaster. 

It was a fickle thing, Alphys guessed. She had been in love many times; well, at least, it felt like it. She had multiple things for multiple anime and comic book characters. Her adoration and affection for them was powerful... but unfortunately one-sided. 

Love with a real person seemed next to impossible. Alphys couldn’t imagine doing in real life what she did in her games. Going on dates, kissing... she wanted to do these things, but could never seem to find the right person -- a person that wouldn’t say ‘I love you’ one day, and cast her aside the next.

That was her biggest fear. It already happened so many times with acquaintances, friends, best friends, almost lovers….

Luckily she found the dumpster unlocked. Alphys raised the impact lid and tossed the trash inside. There was something vaguely sticky about her hand now. Gross.

“You’ve got to control the ball,” a familiar voice called out, quiet but not too distant. “Like this.”

Undyne?

“Like this?” a child’s voice answered, one Alphys couldn’t say she really recognized.

“No, like _this_. See?”

Alphys craned her neck around the corner, past the fence that separated her and the playground.

Undyne had a group of kids surrounding her, eyes wide and in awe as she expertly grappled a soccer ball with her feet, kicking it up and around herself, keeping her combo going. She finished by tossing it up into the air with her heel, and bumping it hard with her head -- barely missing the tip of Alphys’s snout.

“Aw, you threw it into the trash!” one of the students cried. 

Undyne laughed. “Sorry! I missed!”

“Missed what?”

“The basketball hoop.”

“The one that’s on the _other_ side of the playground?”

Alphys picked up the ball. 

Loud footsteps were charging her way. She hardly had any time to react before --

“Oh! Hi, Undyne.”

Undyne turned up at her heels to stop just in time, avoiding running into Alphys. “Hey, Alphys!” She shot her award-winning, toothy grin. “Didn’t expect to see you here, uh,” she glanced around, “by the trash.”

“Me n-neither.” Alphys chuckled shyly, and handed the ball to Undyne. “I believe this is yours.”

Undyne happily took the ball from her. She tucked it under her arm, despite the unidentified goo that stuck to one side of it. 

That’s when Alphys noticed: she wasn’t wearing her cop uniform. She in just a plain t-shirt and jeans.

“Oh.” Undyne must have noticed her staring. “Yeah, I’m not on duty right now. Just thought I’d stick around with some of the kids while they waited for their rides home.”

Alphys’s heart did that _thump-thump thing it did._ She found herself picking at a loose string on the sleeve of her jacket. 

“Hey!” one of the kids yelled out. “Where’s our ball?”

Undyne glanced over her shoulder and chuckled. “Guess they really wanna play today.”

She turned around to head back over, her red hair swinging around over her shoulder. She held up a hand of farewell to Alphys. “I’ll text you later, okay?”


End file.
